Relocating but nowhere to live?! School application?!

[CountingSheep27]

Hello, we are relocating within the uk and are trying to do this quickly to be able to apply for a reception space in the new area within the application window. The issue we are facing is there is nowhere to rent in the new location!! It has to be that location because we have a private nursery place reserved there fir the few months before reception starts, plus has to be that area so we have an address in the right area for the application for the schools we like. Oh my god it’s driving me crazy!! Has anyone done this before and have any advice? Thank you xx

It seems unwise to base location solely around childcare and school. What about work and affordability, why are you relocating and how far?

That seems like a mad way of doing it. Basing your whole life on a nursery place.

When we moved back to the UK we went to my mother’s for about a month while we got things sorted out. We had a house here that we had rented out for the decade we were overseas so we knew where we were going to live eventually.

I applied for school places using her address because you can apply to any school from an address in the UK. Well, England anyway, I’m not sure about everywhere else in the UK. If they have a space they have to give it to you.

However, I wasn’t applying for reception so it wasn’t the same pressure.

The upshot of your situation is that you can’t apply for a place without an address and if there is a shortage of places the address needs to be as close as possible to the school. I don’t think there is any way around it.

Not quite true. You can apply from an address elsewhere in uk but if distance is a determining criteria for oversubscription an offer at a preferred school is unlikely. Some areas have a window after the deadline to update the address and it still be treated as an “on time” application, check the LA website as it can vary but may offer some leeway.

I don’t know what you mean by my post isn’t quite true.

You can apply apply to any school from any address, that was my point. I think a lot of people do not know that, especially people that don’t even live in the UK.

And if they have a space they have to give you the space. What’s not quite true about that?

The OP asked if anyone had any experience, that’s my experience.

Periodically see posts on local Facebook groups about people looking for a rental property. You could try asking in that sort of way and might get something before it is listed

Your last para where you say you can’t apply without an address, seemed to contradict your experience.

I think I’d consider work commute and finances before nursery and school places. If there isn’t anything to rent in the area where the nursery and school is, you might have to rethink your plans.

You can’t apply for a place without an address. You can’t apply from overseas. That isn't not quite true. It is true.

But op has an address currently s can use that even if not local. In many LA you can apply from abroad, but need to be targetting an undersubscribed school, moving imminently or be ready to take up a place quickly if In Year to be successful.

We applied for a secondary school place from overseas. We put in our overseas address. The school was undersubscribed and we got a place. When we moved back we updated our address.

As evidenced by @soccermomquestion 's experience, yes, you can apply from outside of the UK- there was a change in the regulations within the last couple of years. Admission authorities cannot refuse to process an application because the applicant is not in the country, but unless they have an accepted UK address to be used, the application will be ranked as from the overseas address, which will obviously only result in an offer straight off I the school applied for is undersubscribed.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children